Death
by Kylaia
Summary: **Chapter 5 is up, woo-hoo!!!1** Okay Harry's dead and Herm is having a hrd time acceptin' that, so Snape erm 'helps' her and gets a lot more than he bargained for (not like that!), I know it's a crappy title but hey!
1. Chapter 1

Okay then this is my first fanfic so please be nice. Don't bother with flames, if you do send one I have sausages that need to be eaten. Will eventually be HG/SS.  
  
Disclaimer: all of the characters are J.K Rowling's, blah, blah, blah, I'm not making any money from this yadda, yadda, yadda, and erm all the other stuff I've forgotten to type.  
Please r/r also you can e-mail me with any requests or suggestions on Daine52@hotmail, oh and *word* means that the word is in italics.   
  
  
Death   
  
  
With his trademark swoop Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry strode into the dungeons, which doubled as his classroom and private quarters.  
"If I were you Weasley," realising he practically spat out the name, he continued unbothered, "I would put away that book unless you want to be accused of cheating in your end of year exam?"  
Grudgingly Ron Weasley placed the book back into his bag and hoped that Hermione would remember not to put the ingredients straight back so that he could find out what to put in the Potion.  
"As you all know this is your end of year exam, when you- if you fail, you will be kept back a year, only the talented among you will pass this exam" here Draco Malfoy the nastiest piece of work known to man and wizard kind, slid a smirk along to his two henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle, "For this exam you will make a Health Potion, you have precisely two hours to complete it in. Should you fail to meet this time you will fail this class, and have to re-do this year with the current fifth years." After savagely glaring at them all Snape sat at his desk and began to mark second year essays on the different uses of mugwort in Potions, and the fourth year's essay's about the properties of witch hazel.  
******  
Frowning every so often Snape's eyes would wander over the class of thirty or so. Half Slytherin, half Gryffindor, very bad mix. He had in fact had this same class for the past five years, and each year it had been harder to stop each member of Gryffindor to blow Malfoy's brain out of his head. Not an easy feat. As his eyes came to rest on the brown head of Hermione Granger, easily the cleverest girl ever to grace the halls of Hogwarts, he frowned more intensely, somehow he felt that she had been more affected by Potter's death than she let on. During the war between the wizarding world and Voldemort & co. Harry had died in a duel against Voldemort. An old curse more powerful than death had been unearthed and Harry had cast it upon Voldemort and had killed him for the last time, unfortunately Harry had been killed by a stay Death Eater while he was weak from the duel. After his death, the popularity of Hermione had suddenly gone sky high. Every one knew that she and Harry had been a couple at that time so everyone's sympathy was with her. However, naturally her newly acquired status was soon lost as every one began to forget about it. Snape however, was one teacher who quickly noticed how thin and gaunt Hermione began to look. Her usual perkiness was gone and in the stead of it came a solemnity, which worried Prof. McGonagall out of her mind. Sighing he gave himself over to marking the work of the second years, and the idiots that made up the fourth years.  
******  
Working as efficient as she always had, Hermine let on no clues to the turmoil that was going on inside her. Every morning she woke up expecting to see Harry's face as she walked down the stairs to the common room, every time it hurt more to see his usual seat in the classes they shared empty or filled by a different pupil. Most of all she missed their nightly chats where they talked all through the night, somehow they had mutually agreed that once they had left Hogwarts they'd stay together, fight a little like most couples and then probably in time marry, of course neither of them had brought up the point but there was an understanding that didn't need words to express. Discretely Hermione wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye, and tipped three slivers of a nerine leaf into her cauldron, making sure that Ron could see what she was doing. Every test they had ever had together, Ron and Harry had copied off her when possible, Ron with the Weasley bluntness made it quite obvious what he was doing when the teacher was not looking whereas Harry had always done it quietly. 'Strange how you always seem to remember the little things about everyone.' she mused as she waited for the Potion to boil. After a few minutes Hermione checked to see whether it had boiled yet, peering over the rim, she caught sight of herself and blanched. She knew that she had lost a little weight recently but she hadn't known just how thin she looked nor how sunken her eyes looked. Her once bushy long brown hair now was nothing more than oily dull string. 'God, I need to wear more foundation!' was one of the thoughts buzzing around her head. Jerked out of her reverie of discovery by the bubbling liquid, Hermione took the charm off the cauldron and sprinkled in some pixie blood, which would give the Potion the needed power to work. Stirring it cautiously, Hermione checked on Neville's Potion for once he seemed to have it right, like most of the Potions around the classroom it was a deep magenta, he was almost finished, all he needed to do was put in the blood and wait for it to go brown, unfortunately for Neville the Potion went as clear as water, as the blood was sprinkled in. If Hermione knew her ingredients and their properties, Neville had just made a very powerful truth Potion often mistaken for bottled water. This had caught out many wizards and so wizarding parents exploited this and got an easy confession off naughty children. Snape noticing Neville's horrified face sneered, looked forward to the end of the exam when he would test the Potions.   
******(end of the two hours)  
Well Mr. Longbottom your Potion shall be the first to be tested, pass it to the neighbour on you left and Miss Granger shall test it." Although pleased by Neville's blatant shock Snape hoped that he hadn't made a complete bodge of the Potion, for Hermione's sake.   
Hand shaking Hermione grasped the now bottled Potion and drank it in one large gulp.  
"So, do you feel healthier than before?" Asked Snape silkily, knowing perfectly what the Potion actually was.  
"No." the answer came through pursed lips.  
"Lonbottom, I doubt if you made the correct Potion but you'll find out what your score was in your report."   
All through the testing of the Potions, Hermione felt Snape's eyes following her, after seeing herself reflected in the Potion. She now knew why the teachers seemed to be more worried about her than say Ron who had been just as close to Harry as her.   
"Granger see me after this class."Passing a glance to Ron, which pointed out Snape's obvious social problems Hermione acknowledged what Snape had said with a nod.   
******  
All too soon the end of the lesson came and Ron prepared to wait a while for Hermione outside of the Potions classroom.  
"Granger sit down. You need to get Potter's death out in the open."  
******  
  
Sorry 'bout the abrupt ending, but I'm tired and I want to go to bed as it is 3:00 am, review and relieve yourself of those troublesome thoughts. Want more chapters? You're reviews will decide the output of my creativity, if no reviews come to pass, the fanfic will be exacerbated by my ramblings. (Sorry 'bout that bit, I did say it was the early hours)  
  
-x-Kylaia-x- 


	2. Chapter 2

Okay then you know the routine, the charcters aren't mine etc. the plot is even though it's blegh. Review if you like yadda, yadda, yadda.  
A/N In this chpt Herm is just sooo obviously not depressed, but it's essential to the plot that she does this and not mope in this chpt.  
  
Death  
  
"I- what do you mean Professor?" Surely she wasn't that affected by his death? Was she?  
"You know what I mean. Ever since Potter died you've been going around with a face that looks like it has the worries of the world behind it. Professor McGonagall or one of the other teachers would have had brought it up with you if they weren't so scared of worrying you more!" By Snape's tone of voice Hermione could tell that he definitely wasn't bothered if he upset her.  
"I-I don't really understand sir."  
"Yes you do. You've just lost a friend and you don't seem to be bothered to those who don't look close enough, to those who do you' ve obviously been seriously upset for lack of a better word! If you don't talk about it to someone it'll build up inside of you and you'll be a broken girl!" This was getting too close for comfort for Hermione.  
"I have to go to Charms class now Professor."  
"You may go but think about what I said."  
"Yes Professor." replied Hermione and fled.  
*****  
"Flippin heck, 'Mione! What on earth did he say to you? You look like you're about to cry!" with his usual eloquence Ron announced his where abouts.  
Turning to face the pillar that Ron was leaning on Hermione answered him as calmly as she could.  
"Nothing It's just one of my bad days."  
"And it's not like they happen very often is it?" mumbled Ron, in a tone just out of Hermione's hearing.  
"Ron, how did you feel when you were told that Harry was dead?" asked Hermione rather thoughtfully, as they were climbing the stairs out of the dungeons.  
"Well, I guess I felt proud kinda proud as well as sad. You know that my best mate defeated V-Voldemort," ever since Voldemort's defeat, Dumbledore had tried to encourage everyone to use The Dark Lord's proper name "It's a dead cool thing to tell people."  
"No I mean how did you feel when he was dead? I don't mean how did you feel about the way he died."  
"Oh right, well I got lonely a bit like you did but like you I got over it. You know, Harry wouldn't have wanted us to stay depressed about his death all of our lives."  
"Yeah I suppose he-."  
"Ah Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley. You've finally decided to grace us with your presence." Professor Bellman sarcastically drawled. Over the summer holidays Professor Flitwick had somehow managed to fall off his stack of books while cleaning his desk, so Professor Bellman had stepped into his place.  
"Sorry Professor, Professor Snape wanted a word after class."  
"Right then today we will be learning the * Charm (A/N sorry can't think of a nice sounding charm)."  
******  
"Hermione! Wake up!"  
"Hmm, dawannawakeup, gobackseep."   
"Herm! For the love of the Gods get up! You have a test in half an hour!"  
"What?" A test was a sure fire way to wake Hermione Granger, girl genius, up.  
"Man, you totally fell for that!"  
"Ronald Weasley you are incorrigible! Waking me up at, at.." checking the clock Hermione continued, "At 7:30 is just plain rude especially when I was having a particularly nice dream about a free shopping day!"  
"Jeez, Herm no need to lose your rag okay? Anyway how come you fell asleep down here rather than in your luxurious prefect room?"  
"Huh? Oh right. Erm, I was just reading and I guess I lost track of time and fell asleep."  
"Well, I suggest you don't do it again if you're gonna fall asleep on the book, you have a long imprint from the book all the way down your cheek."  
"Great," struck by a sudden thought hermione asked, "hey what did you get in that Potions test? The rankings were supposed to go up today weren't they?"  
"Um yeah." looking sufficiently ashamed Ron told her that he had got 53%. Struggling not to laugh and just about succeeding, Hermione managed to get out the words,   
"What did I get?"  
"Aah, now then we need the proper ceremony to anounce this," Jumping off the chair next to the table Hermione had been resting on Ron coughed and declared, "Miss Hermione Granger from the house of Gryffindor has received the commendable score of, fanfare please..... 100%. Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-daaaaah."  
"You're kidding?"  
"Would I?"  
"Yes, I guess you would. Oh what did Malfoy get?"  
"85%. Guess his dad won't be pleased by that." Grinning devilishly Ron snickered "Fancy coming for a stroll tonight? I just happen to know what the Slytherin password is, and I have a few notes that look just like they were written by Lucius Malfoy, and well let's just say that they aren't the usual 'Well done, son' notes."  
"Ron as I've said before now you are malice personified!"  
"Not sure what that means but I'll take it as an insult and thank you."  
"All right then what time?"  
"About 11 then we'll get in their common room at about half past, and we can plant the notes and be out of there at 12 and be back here by 12:30, that sound okay to you?"  
"Yup, let's have a look at these notes then."  
"Finally the grouch has retreated and Hermione Granger is back." Flashing Hermione a smile Ron went to fetch the notes.  
*****  
"Herm, you awake?" just about visible, Ron was standing in Hermione's door hissing at her to wake up.  
"Okay I'm up see? Now then, have you got those notes that are going to 'magically' appear on Malfoy's bedside table?"  
"Of course, now get up!"  
"Ron I am up, I'm standing next to you." The daily 'Is Ron really sane?' thought flitted across Hermione's mind.  
"Right, okay then. I knew that. Well? Are we going or not?" Glaring at Hermione Ron covered himself with his invisibility cloak and sauntered out of her room. Crossing her room Hermione grabbed her invisibility cloak and ran after Ron  
"Gawd, as much as I love the Weasley's I wish Harry hadn't left all his money to them." The prominent thought in her mind was Fred and George's trick shop, already Zonko's was out of business as a result from how much in demand the tricks from Weasley's Wicked Tricks were.  
"Herm are you coming or not?"  
"I said I am didn't I?"  
"Well hurry up then!"  
With arms outstretched Hermione made her way along the corridors and down all of the stair cases without falling over once, from the bumps and curses she heard from ahead of her it was quite clear that Ron was having difficulties navigating without the torches, which there was an obvious lack of once you got nearer to the Slytherin common room.  
"Herm are you there?" A tousled red haired head was floating some six feet off the floor.  
"Yes, so what's the password?"  
"Would you believe it, it's revenge." strange though it was it was fitting as this was really the ultimate revenge. Along with the notes of Malfoy's 'Doting' father, Fred and George upon hearing of the scheme had donated some of their finer little charms and tricks. Ron repeated the password but directly into the wall and it swung open.  
"Shame we haven't got a camera." whispered Hermione as she thought about Malfoy's face when he woke up with his bed writhing with snakes that no one else could see.  
"Do you think he'll know it was us?" asked Ron as they climbed the stairs to the boy's dormitories, "I mean if anyone ever fount out it was us who turned Malfoy's nose purple we'll be in Big Trouble."  
"Not many people roam the halls at this time of night, except of course Snape, but don't forget we have these cloaks."  
"Right, okay so do you know which room is his?" lowering his voice further Ron became almost inaudible.  
"Yes, he was boasting about it in arithmancy the other day, it's apparantly the one with yew doorframes, as, when yew is exposed to magic for a period of time, it tends to absorb the magic and it's potential can be used by the yew. People like to use yew for doors and frames as it likes to protect whatever it i-"   
"Enough with the girl genius thing okay? I'm guessing this is his room so we're now gonna have to be silent okay? Here's half of the notes and a few charms and tricks. Just put them where ever okay?"  
"Got it." Gathering the charms and things to her, Hermione pushed open the yew door and peered inside, like most of the other rooms it had large four poster beds with drapes around them, the only difference was that the only bed was Malfoy's. Either he had decided that they breathed too loudly for him to sleep or they had left after hearing him talk about himself all of the time.   
The charms were in little packages which needed to be tapped by a wand, then point to the receiver of the charm, and some unfortunate soul will have an extra limb or some other misfortune. After placing the notes on Malfoy's bedside table, Hermione charmed the bed and changed Malfoy's appearance slightly. Staggering about for a while, hunting Ron down Hermione bumped into a large invisible body. Grabbing the closest protruding body part, Hermione dragged Ron outside, and out of the Slytherin common room.  
"Get off my nose Mione you're hurting me!"  
"Sorry Ron I didn't know I was holding your nose, here let me look at it."  
"Yeah right, like that's gonna happen you'd probably wrench it off!" Grinning at his strange sense of humour Hermione asked what time it was.  
"About 12:05 actually."  
"Right so are we going to go back now or what?"  
"Yeah we are, else some teacher'll come along and we'll be busted."  
"Okay then let's go."  
"You go ahead I've lost a slipper, I'll just look for it and come after you okay? Tell you what take the cloak off so I can see you."  
"What about the teachers and ghosts?"  
"Don't worry everyone with an ounce of sanity would be in bed."  
"Ronald Weasley are you implying that I am not sane?"  
"Erm gotta go look for that slipper see you in a min'." Ron's voice receeded so that 'in a min'' was a mere whisper. Taking off the cloak was easier said than done, as it had a lot of buttons clasps and numerous other things to ensure the wearer does not trip over and reveal himself. Once free of the cloak, Hermione wished she had put something more substatial than a pair of white shorts and a skimpy white tee-shirt proclaiming: 'Surfers Do It Standing Up', shivering with the cold Hermione did not hear the figure descend upon her until the last moment.  
"Miss Granger what a pleasant surprise." addressing her as silkily as if she were in class, Severus Snape looked down upon her from his considerable height with a gleam in his eyes that sent a chill to the centre of her bones.  
*****  
  
hehehehehehe, evil I hear you say? Well perhaps a little but not much. It's Sev's fault, he made me do it! well once again I will ask you to press that little button in the bottom left corner, all you need is to type in whether it has potential or whether it is a load of rabbit droppings.  
  
-x-Kylaia-x-  
  
(Please don't put in *too* much of the latter.) 


	3. Chapter 3

Guess what I did with this chapter? I wrote it up on the computer and saved it on floppy disc to take to my Mum's house and guess what happened? Somehow (still not sure how.) the chapter was a blank page on notepad. So that is why this chapter has taken a little while to upload because I had to re-write it again from memory! R/R please. and thank you to the people who have reviewed.  
Disclaimer;none of the characters are mine, blah, blah, blah; the plot is mine though, blah, blah, blah; excepting the plot, everything belongs to the creative J.K. Rowling.   
  
Death  
  
  
"Miss Granger would you please explain why you are wandering around after hours. Struggling to get the words out Hermione told him, "I was just taking a walk Professor."  
"Indeed, taking walks when he should not be seemed to have been a habit with Potter, you seem to have taken on that habit now that Potter is dead. Weasley is probably around here also. All three of you think that you are above such rules set for the mere mortal students. You have an inflated image of yourself, Potter and Weasley likewise."  
"I don't believe this. Harry died to save practically *all* of the wizarding community and yet you still think that he was a meddler."  
"Potter hardly saved the magical community."  
"Gods above! If Harry hadn't died when he did and how he did none of us would be here right now, in all probability."  
"Anybody could have died in those conditions, the curse Potter performed was hardly a complex one. Longbottom could have accomplished that curse easily. Though it being him I might have second thoughts."  
"You just can't handle that two generations of the Potter's saved your life can you? First Harry's Dad did than Harry himself! You just cannot handle it can you? Harry was born saving lives (A/N kind of), and then he died saving them."  
"The circumstances that Potter was born under was not through any effort of his own, and you call that saving lives?"  
"Jeez, he saved your life, he saved the lives of everyone you know and you still insult him. The fact that he's dead should have ensured that you gave him a *little* bit of respect, but neverthless you still find yourself quite justified to insult him. It's just like in your classes, instead of encouraging people which would help them get better marks, you just scorn their efforts and ridicule them in front of the whole class. Neville's a perfect example, he's absolutely terrified of you, if you helped him once a while his grades would improve, but then again that would rid you of an anger vent wouldn't it?"  
"Miss Granger you are treading on very thin ice. One more word from you and I will make sure that you are expelled."  
"You moron!You think I'm bothered? Now Harry's dead I have practically nothing, Ron to be quite frank has no idea what I'm on about half the time, my parents are divorced and keep on writing to me trying to get me on their 'side'. And school? Well to put it bluntly the teachers are doing my head in from asking me if I'm 'quite all right'. So what do you go and do? Threaten to take something off me that I really don't care about!" Hermione's eyes were a blaze of rage, whilst shouting this at Snape.  
"If this is what you are like all of the time I really don't blame Potter for trying to get away from yo-" Snape's words were cut off abruptly as Hermione's hand cam out of nowhere and slapped Snape with a satisfying thunk.  
"Don't ever insult Harry again, or I won't be held responsible for what I do!" turning on her heels Hermione left Snape, staring wide eyed after her.  
***** (A/N oh my God, that was so cool!)  
"Severus, what on earth are you doing here?" blinking a few times Snape looked at Dumbledore's curious face.  
"She hit me. Gods above, she actually hit me!"   
"I think you'd better come to my study Severus."  
*****  
"So who exactly hit you Severus?"  
"Miss Granger, I was asking her what she was doing out out of bed at this hour and she hit me."  
"Severus, I'd like the whole story please. If you would." Under Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes Snape was reduced to the tall, lanky eleven year old he had been when he had first met Dumbledore.  
"Erm, well I just said that I didn't blame Potter for wanting to get away from her."  
"You want me to expell Miss Granger now don't you? Well I must say that most of the blame lies on your shoulders so that wouldn't be very fair. I want you to apologise to Miss Granger and if you insist on giving her a punishment then you may give her a detention, but that is all. Understand?"  
*****  
Hermione managed to get back to her room without any more incidents, once in her room she sat on her bed and went over the night. 'Okay then Granger what did you do? Right think about this calmly and rationally. Now then I insulted Snape. Not too bad, worth a grugde or two but not seriously health damaging. Oh God I insulted his teaching method! Okay then breathe, a detention perhaps, don't have a panic attack it's not that ba-. Oh damn! I'm dead, I hit Professor Snape! Now that is gonna put me in detention, at least, with him for a *very* long time' leaning back Hermione turned over and cried into her pillow wishing that either Harry or her parents could be with her.  
  
  
I like this chapter, I get to hit Snape! Wuh-hoo! Still not too sure where the idea of slapping Snape came from. So whadya think of it? Review for me please. Oh and if you want e-mail me on daine53@hotmail.com.  
  
-x-Kylaia-x- 


	4. Chapter 4

Once again we come to the ramblings of the author before the actual chapter or story if you're one of those people who fit in a whole story into a chapter. Anyway you know what's going to happen right now, it's time for disclaimer.  
Disclaimer:no character in the following story belong to me they all belong to the all mighty J.K. Rowling, I am not making any money from this etc. (Rowling is the one who makes the money), just a strange flitting thought is; if J.K actually reads our meagre attempts at copying her work? Oh well whether she does or doesn't here's the next chappie.  
  
Death  
  
"Hermione, we get up early to wait outside the Slytherin common room to see Malfoy's purple nose, and yet you sit slumped against the wall looking like the world is about to end." Staring disbelievingly at Hermione, Ron looked up quickly as he heard a scream issue from within the Slytherin common room."Show time Herm."  
"You idiots!!! There are SNAKES in my bed and you stand there doing nothing!!! Get someone now!!! Please!!!!," the piercing voice that was Malfoy, was the first thing that brought a smile to Hermione's lips that day, "Noooo, get away from me!!! He's what?! Aaaargh, it's trying to eat me!! Get a teacher this instant!!! Crabbe you're standing on a Runespoor!! Aaaargh , my face! My nose is purple!!! Nooooooo! Get away, just leave me alone!! No, don't stand there! Get off my arm!!! Nice Nundu, good pussy-cat!Aaargh!" the smile on Hermione's face had now tturned into a full blown grin.   
"Come on Herm, I think that's all we need to hear to get our own backs." getting up on tingly legs Hermione and Ron made their way for an early breakfast.  
"I'm guessing that it wasn't just snakes that you had Malfoy seeing?"  
"Um, no I kinda thought that if I told you he'd be seeing a Nundu following him for the next week, I thought you might not agree to do this."  
"The opposite actually, I'd be even more eager to do this."  
"So where do you want to sit close to the Slytherin table or further away from it?"   
"Closer to it, we'll be able to see just who is in the hospital wing simpering over, poor, little Draco, who has been abandoned by his mean, cruel, heartless father." waving to a few of the other people who were mad enough to be up at seven o' clock, Hermione and Ron sat down on the table side closest to the Slytherin table. During the two hours that was allocated for breakfast, Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle, and Blaise Zabini were all un-accounted for. Once the bell rang for the end of breakfast and half an hour 'til the first lesson, all of the remaining pupils in the hall traipsed out to ready their bags.  
"Miss Granger might I have a word?" Snape had silently come up behind Ron and Hermione as they were discussing ways to thank Fred and George for allowing them unlimited use of Weasley's wicked Tricks' stock if they carried on pulling off stunts like the one the night before. Though Hermione paled visibly as Snape glared at her she kept her eyes locked on his, as good as saying that she was not going to take back anything she had said the night before.  
"I'll wait for you in the common room Herm." wondering why on earth Hermione was so scared, Ron sauntered off to the common room.  
"I, I'm sorry for some of the um, things I ah, said last night, erm Miss Granger," Snape shifted to the other foot and managed gain some of his dignity by looking as if he had been forced point blank to apologise, which he just about had, "but the fact that you actually hit me directed me to give you a detention."  
"What?" Oh sweet mother of the gods, Snape just apologised!  
"Your detention will be tonight Miss Granger, at 8 p.m.. Is that all right with you?" By his voice his last sentence was not a real question.  
"No it damn well isn't!" usually Hermione would have kept quiet but the Truth Potion she had drunk was a long lasting one, "had you not insulted me I wouldn't have hit you, so I should not be the one getting a detention!"  
"Whether you want to go to my detention or not you will go! Is that understood!?"  
"Yes Professor, *loud* and clear." emphasising the 'loud' Hermione turned on her heels and strode to common room hoping to tell Ron about the previous night without everyone else hearing about it.  
  
  
Hopefully the next few chapters will be a little more substantial and **fingers crossed** will be a little more angsty also. C'mon now I want s'more reviews okay? Good people review so if you are a bad person you won't review, now do you want to be known as a bad person? Anyway e-mail if you have any suggestions, (addie at top of chpt 3) well signing off now. Oh and don't worry, we'll have a little scene for Malfoy(and his imaginary pet Nundu).  
  
-x-Kylaia-x- 


	5. Chapter 5

_Well here it is, chapter 5. Hope you like it._  
  
_Disclaimer:none of the charcters are mine, they all belong to J.K. Rowling as you already know._  
  
Death  
  
"You did what!?" telling Ron about Hermione's encounter with Snape, without him blowing up, was rather hard.  
"I, um hit him," Hermione looked at her feet and began to talk to her shoes, "I just totally flipped, you know saw red and just hit him."  
"Herm, you sure do have guts. So when are you gonna get expelled then? It's either that or a life time of detention."  
"Well, I think Dumbledore has had a word with him as he has only given me a detention for tonight. And, would you believe it, he actually apologised to me this morning."  
"One detention? That is not nat- wait a minute, rewind. Snape apologised to you? To one of the dreaded Gryffindors? To the school's genius in residence?"  
"Yeah, weird I know, that's why I think Dumbledore had a word with him. I mean can you honestly imagine Snape apologising freely to any student?"  
"Man, that's weird!" exclaimed Ron  
"Tell me about it. Do you know what I said to that though? I actually told him that it 'damn well wasn't fine' God when will Neville learn not to make Potions that render the drinker totally unable to lie!?"  
"Sorry?"  
"Well, the Potion that Neville made in that test was in fact a very long lasting Truth Potion, it's also very powerful."  
"So you mean if I asked you any question you'd *have* to tell me the truth?"  
"Yes, but please don't ask anything that I really wouldn't want you to know about okay, else I'll kill you."  
"Gosh Herm, that's a bit harsh isn't it? Anyway I wouldn't ask you anything right now because you might not want me to know."   
"Thanks Ron, that's nice of you I just hope Snape doesn't ask anything that might cause a little embarrassment."  
"What kind of questions?"  
"Well you know the usual, what on earth were you doing out of bed at night, that kind of thing."  
"You mean he didn't ask you that last night?"  
"Well he did ask me it but I just about managed to lie, not too sure how though, because after that I couldn't stop myself from telling the truth," glancing at her watch, Hermione told Ron, "come on we'd better get outside else we'll be late for Care of magical Creatures."  
  
*****  
  
"Come in!" resting his head in his hands Snape looked the perfect example of a stressed teacher. Wishing that water with crushed ginseng root, and a powdered milfoil leaf was a better cure for a headache, Snape looked up at Hermione as she came in and told her what she had to do.  
"You're to skin those kraits and then make a simple Shrinking Potion, once you've done those tasks and have tidied up after yourself, you may go but not until then, understood!?"  
"Yes, Professor." glaring at him Hermione sat at the table where the knife and kraits lay and began to skin the brightly coloured snakes.  
"What were you doing last night!?" barked Snape after a few minutes silence  
"I- I was taking a walk like I told you." like the night before Hermione struggled to make out the words.  
"No you weren't! Tell me what you were doing girl! I don't suppose it had anything to do with Malfoy's, let's say predicament, this morning was it?"  
"No."  
"If it wasn't then why are you nodding your head!?" (A/N that often happens to me, I say 'no', but nod!)  
"Because I did have something to do with it!" cursing Neville for inadvertantly making the Truth Potion Hermione looked away from Snape's glare.  
"Who else!?" hiding his amusement was usually an easy feat for Snape but he was having trouble stopping himself grinning.  
"Ron." Hermione just hoped that Ron didn't mind the fact that he was, in all probability, going to get a detention also  
"Well, Mr. Weasley will also be having a detention sometime this week, and he has you to thank for that, just like Potter's death," hoping to get Hermione to talk about Harry's death, Snape opted for his approach last night, as it certainly got a reaction. (A/N okay, so it's because I can't be bothered to think up another little ploy to get Herm to talk!) Seeing that Hermione had gritted her teeth and was trying to block him out Snape continued, "after all it *was* your fault that Potter died, was it not?" hoping that Hermione wouldn't hit him this time, Snape watched her eyes for any flicker of emotion.  
"I see absolutely no reason why Harry's death was my fault. Unless of course you want to tell me why?"  
"The thought that perhaps Potter killed himself just to get away never crossed your mind then? That perhaps he was just after a way to get away from an annoying girl who continually got on his nerves and incessantly whined. That thought never occured to you then?"  
"No, that never really did actually, but perhaps he was getting away not from me but you. I mean you did, practically make his life a misery here, and did after all, accuse his god father of being the worst kind of criminal when he was totally innocent, you were prejudiced against him on the grounds of who his father was. You still think he was trying to get away from me?"  
"Yes I still do, because didn't he and Weasley once think that you were a nightmare? Didn't they? And actually sympathised with anyone who couldn't stand you. Because Miss Granger you have that strange talent of making people either put up with you or just hate you outright, as Potter and Weasley did."  
"If I have that so called 'talent', then you most definitely have it. At least three quarters of this school despises you."  
"The same three quarters that hate you? Or so just a quarter of the school hate you?The quarter that hated Potter as well?" Tears streamed down Hermione's face as she ducked her head to carry on skinning the snakes, "Most of the school, like the wizarding community and you, seem to think that Potter was some kind of hero when all he really was, was a nosy meddling boy, who couldn't do anything without catching the attention of all of the wizarding population."  
"It wasn't like that at all! Harry hated all of the attention he got! How would you like to be scrutinised day and night whether you like it or not? How would you like it!?" screaming at him, Hermione stood up so that she was on the same level as Snape was.  
"Oh please, Potter was a snivelling little med-" Snape stopped speaking as the knife that Hermione was using came flying at him and hit nim in the leg.   
"Stop it! Stop, stop, stop!" covering her ears with her hands Hermione launched herself at Snape and scratched him from the eyes to the chin. Sobbing loudly Hermione slid on to the floor and proceeded to sob her heart out. Shocked at her outburst, and trying to ignore the pain in his leg Snape shuffled over to the fire place and threw in some sparkling powder, the fire flared brightly and then dimmed as the Headmasters kind face appeared in the middle of it.   
"Is anything the matter Severus?" peering around Dumbledore saw Hermione and sighed, "I see." Moving away from the fireplace Snape made room for the Headmater to climb out of the fireplace. Striding over to the sobbing heap of clothes that was Hermione, Dumbledore gently picked Hermione up and walked out of the classroom motioning for Snape to follow him (A/N not sure how though, as he's holding Herm), wordlessly Snape followed Dumbledore to the hospital wing, too perplexed to speak.  
********  
  
Oh WOW!! Now that chapter was better than chapter 3! Anyway if you thought it was a bit- well naff, then just review to tell me okay?  
  
-x-Kylaia-x- *whispers 'review!'* 


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